When completing the work on laying tiles, it is required to carry out an operation to grout the seams with your own hands. High -quality grout will give the tile of stability and preserve it for a long time. The coating will take the completed appearance, geometric lines on the surface will be clearly visible. What are the grouts
A mixture for grouting can contain cement or epoxy resin, which will be the main components. Such mixtures are very similar to the compositions of many building components, but have a special hardener or latex, so they need to be diluted with water. Grouts are sold in finished or dry form. Before use, it is necessary to carefully study the instructions in which it is written in detail how much the mixture needs to be applied and how.
Epoxidic tar grouting is much more plastic than cement. It is resistant to alternating loads and impact. Used for seams with a height of 6 to 12 mm. Use such a grout for small seams is not entirely correct, it is not able to completely penetrate into small gaps and perform its functions efficiently.
To preserve the seams on the ceramic surface from darkening due to moisture, it is necessary to apply sealant. He is able to effectively prevent the appearance of the fungus. This material is fully artificial, has varnish and silicone. Covering seams with sealants makes sense in rooms with high humidity: toilet, kitchen, bathroom and others.
What is the width of the seam
Seams can have different widths, usually from 3 to 12 mm. Before you start laying the tile, it is necessary to determine the width of the seams and adhere to this parameter constantly. If you neglect this rule, then geometric proportions will turn out to be wrong, which spoil the appearance. If the tile has a pattern, then it will not match and you will have to shift it.
It is not necessary to determine the width by eye, you can use special crossings for tiles. They are of various sizes, which determines the width of the seam. If you lay the tile tightly, then the seam will be less than 3 mm, in this case, the grout will not be able to get inside. If you make a seam of more than 12 mm, then the grout will fit easily, but after drying there is a high probability that it will crack, and the appearance will be spoiled. It is best to make medium -length seams. So, for large tiles, seams about 6 mm are suitable, and for smaller tiles – from 3 to 4 mm. A mixture of epoxy resin should be used if the seam is no more than 6 mm.
Tips on grout
After laying the tile, its surface does not seem finished, this is due to the fact that the lines are seen with difficulty. Work on grouting seams with your own hands will allow you to get aesthetic pleasure from the type of ideal surface, which you created on your own. All you need is a desire to work, grout, rubber spatula, sponge, grater, wiping material, water. Before starting work, you should put on gloves and get goggles.
Before that, you need to prepare the working surface. We remove excess cement and glue from the seams, pull out the crosses, check that the connecting material is completely dry. If the tile has a glazed surface, then you can immediately use a grout. In other cases, the tiles of the seams need to be wetted, and then use the grout. This will allow you to better combine the tile and the mixture.
Apply the mixture clearly and with some effort. Rubbing movements should be performed so that the grout is distributed throughout the volume. It may seem that the process is very time -consuming, but it costs that the surface will acquire the perfect shape. If the tile has a highlighting color, then you should use the dye of an identical shade when preparing a grout of the grout.
When grouting seams with your own hands, it is not necessary to work with a spatula, the use of a confectionery bag or tube with silicone mixture will be more effective. However, it will still be necessary to process each seam manually.
Then you need to carefully remove the excess mixture from the surface, the seams should not touch. Когда затирка высохнет полностью, берут щетку и влажную тряпочку, которыми вычищают оставшиеся излишки. Next, a sealant is used, which then needs to be leveled.